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Culture of Poverty Lives On: community economic developers in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Author(s) -
DeRoche Constance P.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
city and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.308
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1548-744X
pISSN - 0893-0465
DOI - 10.1525/city.2003.15.2.225
Subject(s) - legitimation , grassroots , poverty , cape , ideology , nova scotia , sociology , political science , political economy , gender studies , ethnology , law , politics
Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island has a Jong history of community economic dlevelopment (CED) initiatives for which it is nationally recognized. While CED encompasses a range of forms and philosophies, the term commonly refers to “grassroots” undertakings that celebrate local knowledge and action. Yet, as his paper shows, key local spokespersons argue that die Island's “culture of dpendency,” though bom of capitalist exploitation, undermines effective folk envolvement in economic development. Their position is reminiscent of die clasic but problematic “culture of poverty” argument. Thus, ironically, a purport My left‐of‐Center orientation turns to victim blaming. An interrogation of this curious stance suggests that it serves not as a defensible representation of recent history, but rather as legitimation for leadership, [poverty, ideology, community economic devebpment, Atlantic Canada]